Chapter 30 – GET OUT

  Kaelin’s pulse quickened. “We need to find a way out of here. Fast.”

  They exchanged a glance, then turned their attention to the chamber’s edges, searching for anything that resembled a doorway. There had to be something. These ruins were too complex for this to be a dead end.

  Then Kaelin spotted it – another engraving near the base of the snake statue. This one was different from the others, depicting a thread being severed.

  “Aria, over here,” she called.

  Her friend approached warily. “You’re not seriously thinking of touching that, are you?”

  Kaelin hesitated. The last time they had interacted with something in these ruins, they had fallen through the floor. But if this was a mechanism, it might be their only way out.

  She exhaled. “Just hold your breath. It might be quite the ride.”

  Before Aria could protest, Kaelin pressed her hand against the engraving.

  For a moment, nothing happened.

  Then the ground beneath them rumbled, and the wall ahead shifted, revealing a passageway carved into the stone.

  Kaelin pouted. Awwww, I was hoping some floor would open up beneath us again. But see, touching things works. I promise, this time it’ll be the way out.”

  Aria sighed. “One of these days, it’s going to get us killed.”

  “But not today,” Kaelin said. She took a large step into the pitch dark passageway and disappeared. Aria looked around, seemingly worried for her friend, but before long, Kaelin poked her head back through, revealing herself.

  “Come on then! The surface isn’t gonna come to us!”

  The passage beyond the hidden doorway was narrow and uneven, carved as if by rough hands rather than precise tools. Kaelin and Aria moved cautiously, their steps echoing softly against the stone. The air was cooler here, damp with the scent of earth and age, and every few feet, dust cascaded from the ceiling in lazy spirals.

  "I hate this place," Aria muttered, rubbing her arms as they pressed forward. "Just putting that on the record."

  Kaelin smirked but said nothing. She couldn't blame her. The ruins had been nothing but trouble so far, and they still weren’t out of danger. If anything, they had only traded one unknown for another.

  They walked in silence for several minutes, winding deeper into the underground structure. The passage sloped downward at first, then abruptly veered upward, forcing them to climb over uneven rock formations. It was clear this tunnel hadn’t been designed for ease of travel.

  Then, up ahead, a faint glow filtered in through a jagged opening.

  “There!” Kaelin pointed, heart pounding with relief. “That’s got to be a way out.”

  Aria exhaled. “Finally.”

  They quickened their pace, scrambling up the final stretch of the passage, but as they neared the light, their relief turned to dismay. The opening led into a massive crevasse, its walls stretching impossibly high. A soft shaft of daylight filtered down from above, illuminating a vertical climb that would test every ounce of their strength.

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  Kaelin peered up, squinting. “That’s… not exactly a door.”

  Aria groaned. “Of course not. That would be too easy.”

  She approached the edge, glancing down. The drop was steep, disappearing into an abyss of shadow. Going back wasn’t an option. Their only path was up.

  “Alright,” Kaelin said, rolling her shoulders. “We climb.”

  Aria shot her a look. “That’s your grand plan? Just… climb?”

  Kaelin gestured to the walls. “The rock’s rough enough to get a grip. And look—there are ledges. We can use them to rest if we have to.”

  Aria muttered something under her breath but didn’t argue. With no better alternatives, they had no choice.

  Kaelin tested the nearest handhold, fingers curling around a protruding edge of stone. It felt sturdy enough. She hoisted herself up, seeking out her next foothold. Aria followed suit, the two of them moving slowly, methodically, testing each hold before committing their weight.

  The first few meters passed without issue, but soon, the exertion began to set in. Their breathing grew heavy, muscles straining with each pull. Dust clung to their skin, and small pebbles tumbled loose beneath their feet, vanishing into the depths below.

  “Don’t look down,” Kaelin advised.

  “Wasn’t planning to,” Aria gritted out.

  Halfway up, they paused on a narrow ledge, catching their breath. Kaelin flexed her fingers, shaking out the ache that had begun creeping into her arms.

  Aria wiped her brow. “You do a lot of climbing in your spare time?”

  Kaelin smirked. “You’d be surprised.”

  Aria shook her head, muttering something about reckless habits, but before she could say more, a sharp cracking sound split the air. They both froze.

  “What was that?” Aria whispered.

  Kaelin turned her head, scanning the rock face. Then she saw it – a thin fracture running through the stone just above them. And it was widening.

  “Move!” she shouted, pushing off the ledge just as the section of rock broke away. It crashed downward, taking several handholds with it. The impact sent a tremor through the wall, causing more debris to loosen.

  Aria yelped as a chunk of stone struck her shoulder. She clung to the rock, breathing hard. “This is officially the worst day of my life.”

  That was no understatement. Aria’s shoulder dripped wit blood, a chunk of flesh above the triceps was hanging off slightly. Blood gushing.

  “Don’t worry about me, just focus on getting to the top.”

  Kaelin didn’t argue. They had to keep moving.

  Aria reached out to a root and had it wrap around her arm like a thick tendril. It held the flesh in place and prevented as much blood loss as she could.

  The next stretch was brutal. Their arms ached, their legs trembled, and every muscle burned with the effort. At one point, Kaelin nearly lost her grip when a foothold crumbled beneath her. Aria lunged, grabbing her wrist just in time. They hung there for a breathless moment before Kaelin scrambled back into place, nodding her thanks.

  Despite the near miss, they pushed onward, inching closer to the top. The sunlight grew stronger, the opening widening into what looked like the surface.

  With a final push, Kaelin hauled herself over the edge, collapsing onto solid ground. She turned, reaching down to grab Aria’s hand and pull her up beside her. They both lay there, panting, staring up at the sky.

  Aria groaned. “I’m never going underground again.”

  Kaelin laughed breathlessly. “You say that now.”

  They stayed there a moment longer, letting the tension drain from their limbs. Then, slowly, Kaelin sat up, taking in their surroundings. They had emerged onto a rocky plateau, the ruins now hidden beneath them. In the distance, she could make out the distant silhouette of their original entry point.

  Aria sat up beside her, rubbing her arms. “We should head back to Elric before he sends a search party.”

  Kaelin nodded but hesitated, glancing back toward the crevasse. Something about all of this still didn’t sit right with her.

  “This place is ancient,” she murmured. “But it’s barely been studied. Why did it take so long for anyone to find these ruins?”

  Aria frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Kaelin gestured around them. “Think about it. This isn’t some random pile of rocks. There are symbols here that no one recognizes. Right out in the open. How has this never been noticed before?”

  Aria followed her gaze. “You’re just being overly skeptical, we’re out in the middle of no-where. The world is vast, it’ll be ages before they’re all found.”

  Kaelin exhaled slowly. “I dunno. I have a feeling something more is going on.”

  Aria rolled her eyes. “Come on. Stop theorizing and get back to reality. We need to get moving.”

  Kaelin stood, dusting herself off. “I guess we should get back. But… I think we need to come here again. With someone who studies ancient history, maybe they’ll be able to make some sense of this.”

  Aria groaned. “You just love trouble, don’t you?”

  Kaelin grinned. “It keeps life interesting.”

  They turned toward the ruins, making a beeline for their camp, the weight of the discovery lingering in the air behind them. No matter what sort of secrets these ruins held, Kaelin had to find out.

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